Congressman Cuellar backs red flag laws, not assault weapons ban

SAN ANTONIO (KTSA News) – A Democrat in the House who represents part of Bexar County supports red flag laws, not an assault weapons ban. In the aftermath of the recent mass shootings in El Paso and Dayton, Ohio, U.S. Representative Henry Cuellar is hoping congress will approve a red flag law.

More than a dozen states have red flag laws, which allow police or family members to seek a court order that temporarily removes firearms from someone who is a danger to themselves or others. Cuellar says it’s a matter of being proactive in preventing mass shootings and he’d like to see a red flag law at the federal level.

“The latest studies show that they (shooters) usually say something before and we have to be able to look at those red flags,” said Cuellar. “We cannot just say we’re going to harden up our schools or we’re going to do this or buy that. We have to be proactive and go after those individuals.”

Some Democrats, including presidential hopeful Joe Biden, are calling for a ban on assault weapons, military-style weapons that can fire rapidly. But Cuellar asks where do you draw the line?

“Look what happened on 9/11. Are we going to ban airplanes? Look what happened with the trucks that they used in Paris. Are we going to ban trucks?” he asked.